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 - Gangster Themed Cinematic - 

Tools:

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Duration:
4 months

Team Size:
1 (solo)

Asset Integration

Unreal Engine

Blueprinting

Project Description:   
A nearly 3-minute long cinematic within Unreal Engine that showcases a design-focused integration of camera work, lighting, sound and visual effects, as well as a playback feature. All working together to fulfill a chosen theme "Gangster" and a given setting. 

My Role:
This project had me explore the different aspects that go into a setting in order to create a desired theme or tone. To achieve this, I used reference material and researched the different aspects I could use to compile an accurate and interesting scene. Additionally, I used blueprinting to create a playback system within the cinematic.

 Planning 

Given the theme "gangster," my first step was to research the different eras of gangsters portrayed in various films and games I am familiar with. To gain a visual understanding of what I wanted to create, I assembled a mood board that allowed me to see the common color schemes and lighting that were seen in this theme's setting. 

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Theme Mood Board

After understanding the tone I wanted to convey, I listed out the prominent features. I used them as a guide for the desired lighting, a color scheme, and even the hero prop that is showcased within the cinematic. This allowed me to focus on curating a specific tone throughout the entire setting to keep it consistent.

 Unreal Blueprinting 

This project allowed me to get more familiar with Unreal's blueprint system and how it operates with the rest of the engine's interface. 

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To implement a media control system in the cinematic, I used a variety of nodes to create the functionality of actions such as:

  • Pause

  • Play

  • Fast-Forward

  • Rewind

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Pause & Play Events

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Fast-Forward & Rewind

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Camera System Structure

For the cinematic itself, I created custom events that would iterate through each camera in order and trigger any corresponding actions such as fading to color, changing focal distance, and other keyframe moments.

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This system allowed for a straightforward approach that was visually easy to work with. With each of the camera's timelines listed out in order, I could quickly jump wherever I needed in the cinematic to add or adjust the moments within it.

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Process of displaying camera in system (Cam #1) 

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 The Features 

 Personal Takeaways 

Lighting
I decided to use warm lowkey lighting for this scene that uses shadows and warm colors to set a distinguished and calm environment as I felt gangsters of an older era are portrayed as powerful yet relaxed group of people, not afraid of danger since they have authority.  

I used the lighting to highlight important aspects of the scene while still fulfilling its practical use. I also 

Ambient Sound Distribution

Fireplace VFX

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Camera
I learned how to use Unreal's camera system and its features, allowing for various panning shots, manipulating focal distances, FOV, and fading moments to make for a pleasing view of the setting and visuals that had been added. I also opted for higher film grain to capture the more aged perspective that was common with older gangster/mafia movies. This project allowed me to experiment with creative camera angles and setting changes to push the capabilities of the camera system.

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Sound & VFX
Since I themed this scene without adding any props (other than the hero prop) or characters, sound was an important aspect to get across what was going on in the scene. I added various sound effects that were relevant to the theme with the intention of having them be coherent and avoid standing out.

To complement the sound, visual effects were added to further the theme's context. I utilized practical places that would have effects, such as flames in the fireplace and dust particles in the air, giving a sense of reality and movement to the otherwise static space.

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Playback System / UI
I created a playback system alongside UI to allow users of the project to pause, play, rewind, and the ability to cut to the next or previous camera within the cinematic. I also decided to theme the UI elements to keep it consistent with the chosen theme.

  • ​Gained experience working within Unreal and exploring its blueprinting system.​

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  • ​My ability to not only integrate cinnamic aspects into Unreal but to combine them to create a themed cinematic.

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  • Gained experience working with a camera system and utilizing its capabilities in interesting ways.

 Showcase 

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Some still shots within the cinematic

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